Why it works: Nutmeg and brandy are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,311 recipes. Both carry linalool, which smells floral, citrus. The science ↓
Pudding Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Cream together the butter and sugar until very light.
Add the well-beaten egg and nutmeg.
Heat the brandy and pour it over the mixture.
Serve immediately.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Nutmeg + brandytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,311 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
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Butter + brandytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,127 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Butter + nutmegtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together24,377 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Egg + nutmegtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together24,744 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Egg and nutmeg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 24,744 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth, creamy body when creamed with sugar.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the sauce and, creamed with butter, traps air for a lighter texture.
- Egg
- Binds the sauce and adds richness and body as it is beaten in.
- Brandy
- Adds a warm, boozy aroma and flavor to the finished sauce.
The step that matters
Cream the butter and sugar until very light. Sugar crystals cut into the butter and trap air, giving the sauce a light, fluffy base. If the mixture is under-creamed, the sauce turns dense and grainy, so beat until it pales and lightens.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, sugar, egg, brandy):
- Cinnamonfits about as well
- Nutmegthe original
- Clovefits less well
- Gingerfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, sugar, egg, brandy. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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